Voting-machine.



No.'670,427. Patentad Mar. 26, I90l. G. L. HOXIE.

VOTING MACHINE.

[Application filed Feb. 21, 1900..

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

-(No Model.)

l K; I N VEJVTOR.

Attorneys.

WITNESS ES m: NORRIS PEYERS co. PNQYOLITHOY. WASHNGTQN, n. cy

No. 670,427. Patented Mar. 26, 190i. G. L. HOXIE.

VOTING MACHINE. (Application filed Feb. 21, 19mm (No Model.)

3 Sheets- Shaef 2.

I I? ar/1474174! 1 I 3 f F W' TNESSES.

m: NORRIS PETERS co PHoTo-uwo, WASHINGTON, u. q,

Patented Mar. 26, 1901. G. L. HDXIE.

VOTING MACHINE.

[Application filed Feb. 21, 1900.;

a Sheets-Shea} 3.

(No Model.)

)j VENTOR.

1 v a I 11 SE WITNESSES.

.dttorneys. I

Tm: NORFHS warms co. worourhu, wnsnmamu. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

GEORGE L. HOXIE, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO DAVID IVIETOALF, OF SAME PLACE.

VOTING-MACHINE.

.QPEGHEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. $20,427, dated March 26, 1901.

Application filed February 21, 1900. e'erial No. 6,003. We models To all whom it may concern/.- the counting gears or registers and associated Beit known thatLGEORGE L. IIOXIE, acitiparts in position for registering a vote. Fig. zen of the United States, residing at Adrian, 6 is a like view showing the normal position in the county of Lenawee, State of Michigan, of said parts with the counting-gears locked 5 have invented certain new and useful Imagainst rotation. Fig. 7 is a detail in elevaprovements in Voting-Machines; and I do detion of a set of counting gears or registers asclare the following to beafull, clear, and exact sociated with the name of each candidate on description of the invention, such as will enthe several tickets or each question permitted able others skilled in the art to which it apto be voted upon, showing the manner of [o pertains to make and use the same, reference mounting said mechanism on the pivoted being had to the accompanying drawings, and frame in which it is located. Fig. 8 is a horito the figures of reference marked thereon, zontal section through the case between the which form a part of this specification. rows of registers. Fig. 9 is a perspective view lhis invention relates to voting-machines; of a set of registering-gears and the pivoted 15 and it consists in the construction and arframe in which said gears are journaled and rangement of parts hereinafterfully set forth, which is adapted to be actuated by the movable and pointed out particularly in the claims. pin when manipulated by the elector in mak- The objects of the invention are to provide ing up a ticket. Fig. lOis a fragmentary view a voting-machine of simple and inexpensive of the vertically-movable frame which serves 20 construction in which the arrangement is to trip the catch supporting the register-ac such as to enable the elector to readily pretuating frame, showing the relation of said pare the ballot he Wishes to vote from the tripping-frame with the slots in the front of ticket of the several political parties contestthe case occupied by the movable pins and ing the election, to insure the arrangement the lateral arms on said frame which neces- 25 by the elector of a legal ballot before the masitate a proper arrangement of said pins bechine can be operated to register the vote, to fore a vote can be registered. Fig. 11 is a provide against a possible movement of the sectional view through the forwardly-projcctregisters of any of the candidates except when ing portion of the registering carrying-frame, a legal vote is being cast therefor, and to proas on line 11 of Fig. 8. o vide means whereby votes may be cast for Referring to the characters of reference, 1 multiple candidates for the same office, perdesignates a voting-booth in which the opermitting a vote to be cast for all of the multiative parts inclosed in a suitable case 2 are ple candidates upon one ticket or allowing located, the booth having a hinged door the elector to make up his vote for the 1l111l- The case comprises horizontal divisions 5 tiple candidates from the tickets of the sevformed by the parallel partitions 4, extendcral parties. ing transversely of the case in vertical order. The above objects are attained by the mech- Crossing the face of each horizontal division anism illustrated in the accompanying drawis a slot 5, which opens through the front of ings, in whichthe case and which communicates with the 40 Figure 1 is a general view showing a votinginterior of the division with which it is assobooth and a voting-machine embodying my ciated. Extending vertically of the front of invention located in said booth. Fig. 2 is a the case at one side and crossing the ends of vertical section through the frame and case all of the horizontal slots 5 is a slot 0, (see containing the operative mechanism. Fig. 3 Fig. 4,) whereby communication is estab- 5 5 is an enlarged detailin elevation, illustrating lishcd between said horizontal slots through the arrangement whereby voting for multiple the medium of said vertical slot. Normally candidates for the same office may he accomthe vertical slot 6 is closed between said horiplished. Fig. sis arear elevation of the intezontal slots by means of the movable stops 7 tier of the case containing the operative mechfitting therein, said horizontal slots being left 00 5o anism,like parts being broken away. Fig. 5is in communication through said connecting an enlarged detail, partly in section, showing vertical slot only when it is desired to vote fora multiple of candidates for any given office.

Occupying each of the horizontal slots 5 in the front of the case is a pin 8, having a reduced stem 9, which fits closely in said slot, and having an enlarged annular portion 10 upon the inner end, which projects into the division of the case in the rear of said slot. The outer end of the pins 8 extends in the form of a handle, so as to enable said pins to be moved longitudinally in said slots by the elector in making up the ticket it is desired to vote.

The front of the case is divided into vertical columns, extending from the top to the bottom thereof each column being occupied by a ticket of one of the political parties contesting the election, there being as many columns as there are political parties. The tickets of the several parties are arranged in vertical order, so that candidates for the same office on the several tickets are in juxtaposition. There is a slot 5 for each series of candidates for the same office, and said slot crosses the case adjacent to the names of the candidates for the same office on the several tickets, so that by moving the pin in said slot it may be made to register with the name of any one of the candidates for the same office. The spaces 11 on the face of the board are those occupied by the names of the candidates, and it is by bringing the pin 8 of any of said slots 5 into alinement with the name of some one of the candidates for the several offices that the expression of the choice of the elector is indicated. 1

In each of the divisions of the case and immediately in the rear of the space occupied by the name of each candidate is a train of counting-gears comprising a toothed wheel 12, having numerals thereon which represent units, a second wheel, 13,'having numerals representing tens, geared to the units-wheel by means of an idler 14, so arranged that one complete revolution of the units-wheel will turn the wheel 13 the space of one number, and a third Wheel, 15, carrying numerals representing hundreds, geared to the second wheel by an idler 16, which causes the wheel 15 to move the distance of one numeral-space at each complete revolution of the wheel 13, thereby computing the number of votes cast for each candidate according to the decimal system, as will bereadily understood. These sets of nu meral-bearing wheels, which serve as a register to indicate the number of votes cast for each candidate, are journaled between the sides of an integraltrilateral frame 17, which is pivoted in position in the main frame by pivot-bolts 18 passing through the rearwardly projecting ears 19 of the side pieces, whereby the weight of the body of the frame and counting-gears is thrown forward of the point of pivot, causing the outer end or front of the gear-fra1ne to swing downwardly and normally hold the toothed wheel 12 in contact with a projecting stop 20 on the frame, whereby the counting-gears are normally locked against rotation. These gearcarrying frames are located within the case in horizontal rows, the front portion 21 of each of said frames in a single row being adapted to register with the slot 5 in the front of the case common to said row. Formed in the front of each of said gear-carrying frames is a eamway 22, which extends entirely across the front of said frame and whose terminals are provided with a sharp upward angle 23. The terminals of the camway in said frame normally stand directly in line with the slots 5 in the face of the frame and in the path of the inwardly-extending end 10 of the pins 8. The diameter of the end portion 10 of the end of said pins is equal to that of the way 22 in said frames, so that upon a lateral movement of one of said pins in its slot 5 sufficient to cause it to engage in the camway 22 of one of said frames the front of said frame will be raised as the pin encounters the inclined wall 23 of said cam way, thereby tilting the frame and carrying the toothed wheel 12 from contact with the stop 20 and into contact with the teeth of a vertically-movable rack-bar 2-11: at the rear of the frame, in which position of the parts a vote may be registered, as hereinafter explained. A continuation of the movement of said pin in the same direction or a retraction of the pin in the opposite direction will carry it from said way and at the same time depress the forward end of the gear-carrying frame through the engagement of the lower inclined wall of said way therewith, thereby tilting the forward end of the frame downwardly and withdrawing the toothed wheel 12 from contact with the rack 24: and carrying it into contact with the stop 20. The rack-bar 2&- is a part of a frame composed of a number of said bars standing vertically parallel and in line with each column of names comprising the several tickets, each of the bars having the teeth 25 at intervals thereon and adjacent to the toothed wheel 12of each set of counting-gears for each candidate. The frame comprising said bars is adapted to have vertical movement, so that upon its descent all of the countingwheels of the several candidates in contact with the teeth thereof are actuated simultaneously to register the vote, said verticallymovable frame being normally held in a raised position by the gravity-catch 26, located at the top of the case and adapted to engage a hook 27, carried by said frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

As before stated, the tickets of the several political parties are arranged in vertical columns extending from the top to the bottom of the case, there being as many columns as there are political parties contesting the election and an additional column indicating no choice for the convenience of those who do not care to vote for anyof the candidates on the several tickets for some particular office. In cases where a question is being submitted ITO to the people to be voted upon an additional column may be provided, through the medium of which an aflirmati've or a negative vote may be registered, according to the will of the elector, as will be readily understood.

The movable pins 8, which are employed to make up the ticket which it is desired to vote, stand normally in vertical alinement at one side of the case, as shown by solid lines in Fig. 1. The elector upon entering the booth proceeds to prepare the ticket he wishes to vote by moving said pins horizontally in the slots 5 into line with the center of the spaces 11 containing the names of the several candidates. If the elector wishes to vote a straight ticket, all of said pins are moved simultaneously into vertical alinementin the center of the column occupied by the ticket it is desired to vote by means of the verticalalinement bar 28, which is mounted to slide transversely of the case and is adapted to engage and carry with it in its movement all of said pins. The placing of all of the pins in the center of the column occupied by a ticket causes said pins to engage the camwayin the frame carrying the registering-gears of each of the candidates on said ticket and carry the toothed wheels 12 of each set of said counting-gears into engagement with the teeth 25 in the rack-bar in the rear of said wheels, when upon disengaging said rack bars through a release of the catch 26 said bars will drop the distance of one notch or tooth and turn all of the counters of the several candidates on the ticket to register one vote for each. The releasing of the voting-frame comprising the rack-bars 24 is accomplished through the medium of a tripping-frame 29, located atthefrontof the case and provided at its lower'end with a projecting handle 30, whereby it may be raised. Upon raising saidframe its upper end is caused to engage the hook 26 and actuate it to release the votingframe and permit it to fall. In voting what is termed a split ticket the pins 8 are moved into a space occupied by the names of such candidates for the several offices for whom it is desired to vote, as shown in the dotted position of said pins in Fig. 1, permitting a selection to be made from all of the candidates on the several tickets, but allowing but one vote to be cast for any one office, as there is but one of the actuating-pins for each series of candidates for the same office, so that upon the operation of the machine the vote is registered for the candidates only whose counters are moved into engagement with their corresponding rack-bar by placing said pins in the center of the space occupied by the names of said candidates, and thereby tilting their counters into the voting position, as be fore described, and in which position the pins must remain while the vote is being cast in order to hold the registering-gears in contact with the rack-bars.

To make sure that the pins 8 are in proper position to carry the registering-gears of the several candidates for whom it is desired to vote into engagement with the corresponding teeth of the rack-bars, the vertical bars of the trippingtrame are provided with cross-arms 31, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, whose laterally-projecting ends leave only comparatively small openings between them, which openings are in line with the center of the spaces occupied by the names of the candidates. These cross-arms 31. are in the path of the inwardly-projecting ends 10 of the horizontallymovable pins. in order, therefore, that said cross-arms may clear said pins when the tripping-frame is raised in the operation of voting, said pins must be arranged in line with the spaces occupied by the names of the candidates in such position as to carry the registering-gears of said candidates into contact with said rack-bars. Should one of said pins be out of position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 10, the tripping-frame could not be raised, for the reason that one of the cross-arms 31 would engage said pin and prevent the upward movement of the frame, so that a vote cannot we cast until all of the pins have been properly arranged to insure the actuation of the counting-gears of the several candidates necessary to complete the ticket.

Where there are multiple candidates for the same office upon the several tickets, as sometimes occurs where members of the state legislature or other officers are elected at large, provision is made for allowing the elect-or to vote for allot the candidates on one ticket or to divide up his vote among the candidates on the several tickets, as shown in Fig. 3, in which the arrangement is such as to enable the elector to vote for four candidates on one ticket or one candidate on four tickets, as he may desire. This result is accomplished by means of the vertical slot 6, which establishes communication between the horizontal slots 5 and enables the pins 8 in the communicating slots to be moved about at will. There is one pin for each of the officers to be elected, and there being four officers to elect it is evident that said pins may be moved at will into any of the communicating slots to make up the ticket from the candidates of one party or from the candidates of the several parties, permitting, however, in no case the casting of a vote in excess of the legal number of officers to be elected. The pins with which the multiple voting is done are confined within their communicating slots or channels by means of the stop-blocks '7, which are adj usted and secured in place by the proper oliicer before the voting begins.

Repeating is prevented by means of a beveled key 32, which is longitudinally movable and lies in the bottom of the case below the voting-frame, which is provided with inclined faces adapted to engage said beveled key. Attached to said hey is a rod 34, whose opposite end is pivoted to the door of the booth, the arrangement being such that upon a de scent of the votil'lg-frame in registering a vote said frame can only be raised to repeat the operation by swinging the door of the booth widely open. It is designed that the elector upon registering a vote will in passing from the booth operate the door to raise the voting-frame sufficiently to be engaged and held by the notch 26 in position for a succeeding operation.

In order to destroy the ticket, so that an elector may not see the ticket voted by the previous occupant of the booth, a restoringbar 35 is employed, which extends vertically of the frame and is adapted to pass across the face thereof, said bar being connected to the door by means of the pivoted rods 36, so that upon the passing of the elector from the booth said bar 35 is drawn across the face of the case to restore the pins 8 to their normal position.

To prevent the surreptitious turning of the counting-gears of any candidate by the introduction of a tool through slot 5 in the front of the case, vertical guards or shields 37 are mounted on the partitions 4- and are adapted to stand within the opening of each gear-carrying frame 17, so as to prevent the countinggears from being reached and actuated by a tool inserted through the slot 5. The position of these vertical guards is such as to in no Way interfere with the free movement of the forward end of the gear -carrying frames. The back of the case is closed tightly by the doors 38 and may be securely locked, so as to prevent improper access to the case.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a voting-machine, the combination of a case, a set of registering-gears, or countingwheels, located in said case and movable into and out of engagement with an actuating device and a movable member independent of the registering-gears mounted on and mov able transversely of the case adapted to move said registering-gears to carry them into and out of contact with said actuating device.

2. In a voting-machine, the combination of a case, a set of counting-gears mounted within the case to have a limited reciprocatory movement transversely of the case, but held from moving longitudinally thereof, means for imparting a rotary movement to said gears at the limit of theirtransverse movement in one direction and means for locking said gears from rotation in their normal position.

3. in a voting-machine, the combination of a case, a frame located Within said case to reciprocate transversely, butheld from m ovement longitudinally thereof, a set of counting-gears journaled in said frame and movable therewith, an actuating-rack and a stop in the path of one of said gears and means for actuating said frame to carry said gear alternately into engagement with said rack and stop.

a. The combination of a case, a pivoted frame located in said case, a set of countinggears journaled in said frame, a camway in the face of said frame and a pin movable in the front of the case adapted to engage in said camway to impart a tilting movement to said frame.

5. The combination of a case, a frame movable in said case, a set of registering-gears journaled in said frame and movable therewith, an actuating device adjacent to said set of gears, a pin movable transversely in the case independent of said gear-frame, but adapted to engage and actuate said frame or by its lateral movement to carry said gears into and out of contact With said gear-actuating device.

6. The combination of a case, a number of sets of independently-movable gear-carrying frames mounted in said case in series, a set of registering-gears journaled in each of said frames, a movable rack-bar common to all of the sets of gears in each series, means for moving said gear-carrying frames to cause one or all of the sets of gears in a series to engage said rack and means for actuating said rack to turn said gears.

'7. The combination of a case, a frame pivoted therein to swing on said pivot, a set of registering-gears jourualed in said frame and movable therewith, gear-actuatin g means and a stop located in the path of said gears at the limit of their movement in opposite directions, a camway in said pivoted frame, a pin movable in the case adapted to engage in said camway to cause said frame to reciprocate and alternately carry said gears into engagement with said actuating device and with said stop.

8. The combination of a case, a series of movable frames located in said case in horizontal rows, each of said frames carrying a set of counting-gears journaled therein, each frame having a eamway in the face thereof, a slot in theface of the case adjacent to the camway of said frames and a pin movable in said slot and having an inwardly-projecting portion adapted to singly engage in the camway of each of said frames, arack-baradapted to engage and actuate each set of count ing-gears when said gears are carried into contact with said racks by the movement of said frames and means for actuating said rack-bars.

9. In the combination of a case, a series of frames independently movable in the case, each frame having a set of counting-gears journaled therein, a movable rack-bar adjacent to each set of gears, means for actuating each frame independently to carry the gears therein into contact with said rack-bar, means for actuating said frames to withdraw said gears from contact with said rack-bar, means for locking each set of gears when out of contact with said rack-bar and means for actuating said rack-bar when the gears are in contact therewith.

10. In a voting-machine, the combination of a case, said case having stationary spaces ICC on its face for names of candidates, a set of counting-gears for each candidate journaled in a movable frame and a pin movable across the face of the case adapted to actuate the frame containing the counting-gears of each candidate when moved into the space occupied by the name of the candidate corresponding therewith.

11. The combination of a case, a series of movable frames located in horizontal rows within said case and arranged in vertical order, a space on the face of the case foreach movable frame therein said spaces adapted to contain the names of candidates, a set of counters located in each of said frames and each frame having a camway in the forward portion thereof, a series of horizontal slots crossing the face of the case adjacent to the camway in said frames, a pin movable in each of said slots, each of said pins having an inwardly-projecting end adapted to engage in the way of said frames when moved into the space occupied by the name of the candidate corresponding therewith, a movable rack-bar adjacent to each set of countinggears with which said gears are carried into engagement by the movement of said pin into the camway in the gear carrying frame, means for actuating said rack-bar when said gears are in contact therewith.

12. In a voting-machine, the combination of the case, rows of independently-pivoted frames mounted in said case each of said frames carrying a set of counting-gears journaled therein and movable with said frames, each of said frames having an angle-way in the face thereof, slots formed in the front of the case adjacent to the ways in said frames, a pin for each slot common to the ways in all of the frames in alinement therewith, said pins adapted to enter the ways in said frames to cause said frames to reciprocate, means for locking all of the sets of counting-gears in the normal position and a movable rackbar adapted to engage said gears when in a voting position.

13. The combination of a case, having sets of registers, or countinggears, movable in said case, horizontally-movable pins in the front of the case adapted to actuate said counting-gears when in the voting position,

a vertically-movable rack-bar adapted to engage the counting-gears, a catch for maintaining said rack-bar in a vertical position, a tripping frame adapted to disengage said catch, said frame having lateral arms adapted to encounter said pins when out of the voting position, to prevent the raising of said tripping-frame.

14:. The combination of a case, a series of pivoted frames in said case arranged in horizontal rows, each frame carrying a set of counting-gears, means for locking each set of gears when in their normal position, means for actuating each set of gears when in the voting position, a tripping-frame adapted to actuate the gear-actuating means said tripping-frame having lateral projections, a series of pins movable in the front of the case adapted to actuate independently the frames carrying the countinggears when moved into the voting position, said pins standing in the path of the projections on the tripping-frame when out of the voting position.

15. The combination of a case, having upon its face a series of spaces adapted to contain the names of the candidates, a series of horizontal slots crossing the face of the case adjacent to said spaces, a series of movable counting-gears for each of said spaces located within said case, pins movable in said slots adapted to actuate the frames containing the counting-gears, a vertical slot crossing said horizontal slots and establishing communication therebetween enabling the pin in any one horizontal slot to be moved into the communicating horizontal slots.

16. The combination of a case, a series of movable counting-gears within said case, a series of horizontal slots in the face of the case, a pin in each of said slots adapted to actuate said sets of counting-gears, a vertical slot establishing communication between the horizontal slots whereby said pins may be moved from one slot to another.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE L. HOXIE Witnesses IRA WATERMAN, DAVID METCALF. 

